The 2025 China International Online Literature Week kicks off in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2025 China International Online Literature Week opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Sept 26, bringing together writers, translators, AI experts, and executives from online literature platforms and audiovisual companies from around the world.

During the opening ceremony, the China Online Literature International Communication Report (2025) was released, offering a comprehensive overview of the global reach and evolution of China's online literature industry.

As of the first half of 2025, about 5,000 Chinese online literary works have been published in print overseas, while more than 130,000 e-books have been distributed across over 200 countries and regions, including key markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Russia.

The report noted that artificial intelligence now plays a central role in translation and content distribution. On most platforms, AI-assisted translations account for more than 50 percent of total works. On Webnovel, for example, over 7,200 translated titles — more than 70 percent of its translated catalog — are produced using AI.

Beyond translation, AI is applied in content distribution through semantic recognition, keyword modeling, and user preference algorithms, enabling more precise and personalized recommendations.

With technological advances, China's online literature has expanded rapidly overseas. The number of active overseas users has reached about 200 million, covering over 200 countries and regions. While Asia and North America remain the main markets, emerging regions such as Russia, Spain, and Brazil are seeing growth as AI language training improves for smaller languages.

At the same time, the report acknowledged challenges to international communication. Despite efficiency gains, AI translation still struggles with the nuanced terminology common in online literature, requiring human refinement. The shortage of skilled translators in minor languages has also limited expansion into new markets.

Regional disparities remain pronounced, with Chinese online literature maintaining a strong presence in East and Southeast Asia and North America, but with relatively limited influence in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.